Berkner Island
Encyclopedia
Berkner Island or Berkner Ice Rise or Hubley Island is a high and completely ice
-covered large island
about 200 miles (321.9 km) long and 85 miles (136.8 km) wide in Antarctica, with an area of 17000 mi2. It is the second largest island of both Antarctica and the British Antarctic Territory
, after Alexander Island
. It is also located within the Argentine
Antarctic claim. Berkner Island is the southernmost island of the world, a title that is sometimes incorrectly awarded to Ross Island
. Berkner Island is however - unlike Ross Island - not accessible from the sea, since it is completely surrounded by ice shelf
. The northernmost point of the island is still about 10 miles (16.1 km) from the open sea.
The island rises to 869 m (2,851 ft) (975 m or 3,198.8 ft according to other sources) and separates Ronne Ice Shelf from the Filchner Ice Shelf. It is characterized by two domes, Reinwarthhöhe in the north (698 m or 2,290 ft), at 78°19′S 46°20′W, and Thyssenhöhe in the south (869 m or 2,851 ft), at 79°34′S 45°42′W. It is indented by three bay
s on the eastern side, which are from north to south: McCarthy Inlet, Roberts Inlet, and Spilhouse Inlet. Gould Bay is on the north coast. Berkner Island is about 150 km (93 mi) west of Luitpold Coast
, Coats Land
, the closest mainland of Eastern Antarctica. 17 km (10.6 mi) off the northwest corner of Berkner Island is Hemmen Ice Rise
.
Berkner Island was discovered by members of the United States-International Geophysical Year
(US-IGY) party at Ellsworth Station under the leadership of Capt. Finn Ronne
, United States Navy Reserve
(USNR), during the 1957-1958 season. Berkner Island was named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for American
physicist Lloyd Berkner
, engineer with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928–1930).
Since 1990, Berkner Island has been a jumping off point for a number of long distance polar expeditions. In 2009 SOUTH.com, the first unsupported return journey to the South Pole, will begin from there.
In the 1994/1995 field season the British Antarctic Survey
, Alfred Wegener Institute
and the Forschungsstelle für Physikalische Glaziologie of the University of Münster
cooperated in a project drilling ice cores on the North and South Domes of Berkner Island.
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
-covered large island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
about 200 miles (321.9 km) long and 85 miles (136.8 km) wide in Antarctica, with an area of 17000 mi2. It is the second largest island of both Antarctica and the British Antarctic Territory
British Antarctic Territory
The British Antarctic Territory is a sector of Antarctica claimed by the United Kingdom as one of its 14 British Overseas Territories. It comprises the region south of 60°S latitude and between longitudes and , forming a wedge shape that extends to the South Pole...
, after Alexander Island
Alexander Island
Alexander Island or Alexander I Island or Alexander I Land or Alexander Land is the largest island of Antarctica, with an area of lying in the Bellingshausen Sea west of the base of the Antarctic Peninsula, from which it is separated by Marguerite Bay and George VI Sound. Alexander Island lies off...
. It is also located within the Argentine
Argentine Antarctica
Argentine Antarctica is a sector of Antarctica claimed by Argentina as part of its national territory. The Argentine Antarctic region, consisting of the Antarctic Peninsula and a triangular section extending to the South Pole, is delimited by the 25° West and 74° West meridians and the 60° South...
Antarctic claim. Berkner Island is the southernmost island of the world, a title that is sometimes incorrectly awarded to Ross Island
Ross Island
Ross Island is an island formed by four volcanoes in the Ross Sea near the continent of Antarctica, off the coast of Victoria Land in McMurdo Sound.-Geography:...
. Berkner Island is however - unlike Ross Island - not accessible from the sea, since it is completely surrounded by ice shelf
Ice shelf
An ice shelf is a thick, floating platform of ice that forms where a glacier or ice sheet flows down to a coastline and onto the ocean surface. Ice shelves are only found in Antarctica, Greenland and Canada. The boundary between the floating ice shelf and the grounded ice that feeds it is called...
. The northernmost point of the island is still about 10 miles (16.1 km) from the open sea.
The island rises to 869 m (2,851 ft) (975 m or 3,198.8 ft according to other sources) and separates Ronne Ice Shelf from the Filchner Ice Shelf. It is characterized by two domes, Reinwarthhöhe in the north (698 m or 2,290 ft), at 78°19′S 46°20′W, and Thyssenhöhe in the south (869 m or 2,851 ft), at 79°34′S 45°42′W. It is indented by three bay
Bay
A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...
s on the eastern side, which are from north to south: McCarthy Inlet, Roberts Inlet, and Spilhouse Inlet. Gould Bay is on the north coast. Berkner Island is about 150 km (93 mi) west of Luitpold Coast
Luitpold Coast
Luitpold Coast is that portion of the coast of Coats Land extending from the vicinity of Hayes Glacier, at 27° 54' W, to 36° W, which is regarded as the east limit of the Filchner Ice Shelf. It was discovered by Wilhelm Filchner, leader of the German Antarctic Expedition, 1911-12, and named for...
, Coats Land
Coats Land
Coats Land is a region in Antarctica which lies westward of Queen Maud Land and forms the eastern shore of the Weddell Sea, extending in a general northeast-southwest direction between 20º00´W and 36º00´W. The northeast part was discovered from the Scotia by William S. Bruce, leader of the Scottish...
, the closest mainland of Eastern Antarctica. 17 km (10.6 mi) off the northwest corner of Berkner Island is Hemmen Ice Rise
Hemmen Ice Rise
Hemmen Ice Rise is an ice rise 18 km long and 2 to 4 km wide, with an estimated area of 55 km², located 17 km off the northwest corner of Berkner Island in Ronne Ice Shelf. The feature appears for the first time on a chart prepared at Ellsworth Station in 1957 by Captain Finn...
.
Berkner Island was discovered by members of the United States-International Geophysical Year
International Geophysical Year
The International Geophysical Year was an international scientific project that lasted from July 1, 1957, to December 31, 1958. It marked the end of a long period during the Cold War when scientific interchange between East and West was seriously interrupted...
(US-IGY) party at Ellsworth Station under the leadership of Capt. Finn Ronne
Finn Ronne
Finn Ronne was a U.S. Antarctic explorer.-Background:Finn Ronne was born in Horten, in Vestfold county, Norway. His father, Martin Rønne , was a polar explorer and served in Roald Amundsen's successful expedition to the South Pole...
, United States Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
(USNR), during the 1957-1958 season. Berkner Island was named by the United States Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names (US-ACAN) for American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist Lloyd Berkner
Lloyd Berkner
Lloyd Viel Berkner was an American physicist and engineer. He is notable as the first person to measure the height and density of the ionosphere. This permitted the first complete theory of short wave radio propagation.Later he investigated the development of the Earth's atmosphere...
, engineer with the Byrd Antarctic Expedition (1928–1930).
Since 1990, Berkner Island has been a jumping off point for a number of long distance polar expeditions. In 2009 SOUTH.com, the first unsupported return journey to the South Pole, will begin from there.
In the 1994/1995 field season the British Antarctic Survey
British Antarctic Survey
The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica....
, Alfred Wegener Institute
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
The Alfred Wegener Institute of Polar and Marine Research is a scientific organization located in Bremerhaven, Germany. The institute was founded in 1980 and is named after revolutionary meteorologist climatologist, and geologist Alfred Wegener...
and the Forschungsstelle für Physikalische Glaziologie of the University of Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
cooperated in a project drilling ice cores on the North and South Domes of Berkner Island.
See also
- Composite Antarctic Gazetteer
- List of Antarctic islands south of 60° S
- SCARScarScars are areas of fibrous tissue that replace normal skin after injury. A scar results from the biological process of wound repair in the skin and other tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a natural part of the healing process. With the exception of very minor lesions, every wound results in...
- Territorial claims in Antarctica